


Mobius Trip

by matrixrefugee



Category: The Matrix (Movies)
Genre: Gen, Mid-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-14
Updated: 2018-06-14
Packaged: 2019-05-23 10:34:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14932604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/matrixrefugee/pseuds/matrixrefugee
Summary: What lead to Neo awakening in the Trainman's realm...





	Mobius Trip

He had no clear idea how he got to this place. He remembered being able to reach out and by sheer power of the mind, access the control-codes for the Sentinals about to attack him and Trinity, near the wreckage of the Nebuchadnezzer. Then everything went dark, the darkness of sleep, tempered by strands of the code. Somehow his mind had fused itself to the Matrix, and here he was, in this strange place. It wasn't the Matrix proper, that much he knew: the code was different here, encrypted in ways he was too weak to hack.

He wasn't alone here. In his trance state, he heard voices near him, two male voices.

"This is my place: it ain't a dumpin' ground for your strays," said a gruff, husky voice. "He can't stay here."

"Mais, non, he shall not be here for long, zat much I can assure you. And zis is no mere 'stray', no rogue program we plucked from ze 'ands of ze housebuilder: zis is ze One 'imself," replied the other, which Neo recognized as the smooth, cultured voice of the Merovingian.

The other made no reply for a moment. "You don't say. You bulling me?"

"See for yourself, Charon: 'is code does not read like ours, nor like zat of a common human."

Another pause. "Shit, why didn'cha tell me in the first place, boss?" the underling program replied with a hint of awe.

"I thought you would see it for yourself, but I see I am mistaken regarding your powers of observation."

"So what's he doin' here for?"

"How he came into my possession is not for you to know, but the why of his being here, zat I will reveal to you, in due time..."

Their voices faded in Neo's ears as he slid back into his comatose state, only to awaken later, when he sensed a quiet presence near him and opened his eyes to see a small shadow with a corona of light behind its head....

***************************

In previous iterations, the Merovingian had tried to influence the One to agree not to fight the Machines, but rather to side with his kind: the motives of the humans and of the Exiles were not so different, when one considered the effect they both sought to cause. But until now the Ones had allowed their chosen companion to die, and so play into that housebuilder's hand, which only made the cycle of reloads continue: that had caused the Merovingian to reconsider his tactics. A show of support had not worked, but perhaps cruelty would.

For the first time in six iterations, the One had fallen into his hand, like a ripe fruit ready to be plucked. The fortuneteller had slipped through his grasp; well then, let the One be the bargaining chip for her talent, which would give him the Sight needed to look past these endless reloads, and see what causes could be prevented from having their effect.

It would only be a matter of time before the mentor and the One's lovely companion came crawling to him, begging for their savior's release, begging for the Grail that would give life to their world, but which could serve his just as well....

***************************

He couldn't get on the train and get out of this place: there had to be another way out. He tried running along the track to find a way out, but he found himself running in a loop right back to where he started from, as if the strip of track were some wierd, giant Mobius strip. Apparantly, the Trainman or the Frenchman had some password running on it, which only they could access and allow programs in or out of this hidden sector.

Well, it was the power of the mind that got him into this place, maybe it could get him out of it. He seated himself on the one gun-metal grey bench there and reached deep into his mind...

_...fetal sacs on chitinous half-metallic stalks...a metal umbillicus running from the power plants to a field of strange structures..._


End file.
